| Summary: | Civil rights activist, deacon, and police superintendent Joseph Henry Beasley was born on December 27, 1936 in Fayetteville, Georgia. He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and earned his B.S. degree in criminal justice from Park College in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1957, Beasley entered the U.S. Air Force. During his military service, Beasley founded several organizations to support African Americans servicemen. In 1976, Beasley began to work with Operation PUSH, co-founding the Kansas City chapter of Operation PUSH. In 1981, Beasley was named Executive Director of Operation PUSH's Atlanta chapter. In 1984 and 1988, he served as the Georgia Deputy Director for Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.'s presidential campaigns. In 1993, Beasley was hired as the chapter coordinator of the National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Atlanta; and, in 1995, became the organization's southern regional director. He later formed African Ascension to develop economic and political ties throughout Africa and the African Diaspora.
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